Great story. Really enjoyed the idea of a female on a high school football team. The build up between the characters and story progression was great. No insta love here.

As a non-football fan, I enjoyed this sports book. I love seeing girls overcome while staying true to themselves. I also love a good teen romance.

Liv is a complete badass. I LOVE how this novel doesn't make it a big deal that Liv is a quarterback for her high school team. They completely normalize a GIRL playing football with ALL boys. I mean, they mention how the team has to come to terms with Liv's joining the team and show a little kick back she gets, but overall, it's completely accepted that there's a girl on a football team who even becomes a starter! And I am here for it. I wish the novel was a little less romancy; however, it was so cheesy cliche that it was cute at times.
I also loved how family centered Liv is. While noble and always having the best intentions, she makes mistakes and faces real world consequences for them. I like how her mistakes aren't magically solved. Liv has to problem solve and fix the mistake she made even though she did the wrong thing for the right reasons. I like the tough love from Liv's parents while still being supportive and loving. Liv's brother and sister really care about her.
Grey is another character who was complex and a little too cliche at times. I was almost hoping he stayed a self-serving asshole, but of course, he has to grow and change too.
If you want a gender defying romance novel, this is for you! If you want a female superhero who is actually human - this is for you. Liv is opening doors into the boys locker room on Friday Night Lights to ALL GENDERS. I want more stories like this. And I want more real life stories of girls breaking into male dominated sports.

Throw Like a Girl was such an unexpected surprise! I forget why I'd originally requested and then forgot about it entirely as I became distracted by shiny new titles...but picked up a copy recently from the library at the suggestion of a friend and just fell in love with this story! I do think that Liv should have been honest on why she hit the other girl but I also get why she didn't. But it was so hard to listen to what her family said about her....to her!...as a result and my heart hurt on her behalf. I also loved the dynamic that Liv had with her teammates as she learned football and grew to love the sport. And of course the romance with Grey was super sweet and I was glad that they found each other. All in all a super solid book!

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

First Thought After Finishing: The YA genre needs more sports romances!

Although I’m not an athlete myself, I enjoy reading stories that feature sports. I always admire the dedication that these teenage athletes display as they pursue their dreams. Throw Like a Girl showcased not only athletic talent but also the challenge of balancing family pressure, romance, and normal teenage life.

Liv has it all—a sports family, the perfect boyfriend, a great group of friends, and the star spot on her private school’s softball team. But all of that vanishes with one punch during a tournament game. Much to her dismay, Liv will have to attend the rival public school, which is home to the softball team of the girl she punched. Liv expected talent to carry her through, but her new coach wants to see something more—teamwork. When the starting quarterback approaches her with an offer to help if she joins the football team, Liv knows she has to take the opportunity. Only she never expected to like football so much, or to pass her heart to the quarterback. And when secrets come to light, only Liv can decide what play to call and hope it results in a touchdown.

As a teenager, I stopped playing soccer because playing on a team against boys several years older than me made me nervous. Liv, however, is almost fearless, earning her place on a male team in a male sport and earning not their contempt but their admiration. This is not only because of her athleticism but also because of her work ethic, strong character, and determination to be the best that she can. I appreciated her reminders of all the lessons she had been taught by her father and sister, and they made me want to redouble my efforts in my own passions.

This book was pitched as a sports romance, and it does not disappoint on either count. The vivid description of all of the games—softball, football, and even volleyball—transported me to the bleachers and left me cheering for Liv and her team. And the romance between Liv and Grey, though not without its problems, was often incredibly sweet. True, they both made mistakes, but what girl doesn’t want to discover that the handsome, unattainable quarterback is actually a devoted friend and boyfriend? And no review would be complete without mentioning Addie, Liv’s sassy softball friend. Addie is the loyal, unconditional friend that everyone needs, and she is the voice of reason in the midst of Liv’s tempest. If there was ever a spinoff about her, I would most definitely read it.

At its heart, Throw Like a Girl centers around standing up for oneself in the right way, whether it is with family, in relationships, or against enemies. But with this message woven into a book that is by turns humorous and touching but always engaging, the story never feels like a sermon. I was sad to see the end of Liv’s journey, and I can only hope that a companion novel might offer a glimpse of these wonderful characters. This book is perfect for fans of Miranda Kenneally's novels. I will be eagerly awaiting Sarah Henning’s next book!

Most Memorable Aspect: The detailed descriptions of all of the sports games.

I love sports books and this was no different. A great cast of characters and a fun theme! I loved the romance, the growth through out the novel and so much more!

It’s been awhile since I’ve read contemporary YA, but this one caught my interest immediately. A coming-of-age story with romance and sports?!?! The crowd goes wild! The foam fingers wave wildly! She lifts up Throw Like a Girl and celebrates. She reads.

I think this might be the first sports romance I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it! The training and games were well-written, and I never felt like they detracted from the story or made the pacing drag. Girls are that strong, that they can train and join a football team and be good at it. I loved that the book never doubts Liv’s abilities, and that includes the coaches and Liv’s teammates. In fact, they work hard together and they support each other. Damn if that isn’t a healthy portrayal of female/male interactions.

The romance is cute, but what person winks as much as Grey does? No one, I tell you. But I’ll try to overlook that and focus on the fact that they’re so sweet together. The romance is well-written, but I do think it suffers a bit when the conflict is introduced. It felt a little forced, and didn’t really add anything meaningful to the plot. We could’ve gotten the same ending without it, and to me it just made me ship the couple less. The conflict could’ve been resolved a little better (we don’t get closure for some things, and for others the closure felt a little too easy). This was the biggest detractor in the book, for me.

I love the female friendships, too. Liv has her bestie who’s always there for her. You can see how real and strong their bond is, even when it comes to finding a good balance in leaning on each other. Liv’s relationship with her brother, Ryan, is also great to read. It’s so loving, and I think that’s a rare thing to see in books especially when both siblings are teens. It made the story stronger, and cemented it as a good coming-of-age story.

Honestly, this book is such a mood. It’s girl power personified. Girl makes mistake, learns from it, kicks ass at a new sport, befriends people at her former rival school. It’s one of those stories that leave you wanting more, in the best way.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

You know the book is bad when I had started regret reading this book one chapter in (to be honest it's more like half a chapter, but I rounded it up just for the sake of accuracy).

I was starting to have a bad feeling since the very beginning, but I still forced myself to read at least 3 chapters to make sure that I am no longer physically able to tolerate it.

I’m not shy about my enjoyment of pleasure reads, so this book's generic story-line is not the problem. There are mountains of books that have stereotypical story-lines but it is still fun to read. But here’s the thing - those books are still good - Really good actually. That’s because even those story-lines are generic, they are written in a non-cringy and awkward narrative, making it very entertaining and actually NOT painful to read (emphasize on painful).

Also, what is the deal with Liv? Last time I checked, she is in high school - (almost graduating if I remember correctly, she's a senior or junior?). So can someone please explain to me why her narration sounds exactly like it's straight out of a middle school novel? I came into this book never expecting it to even be the best book I've read this week, but it still managed to take my expectations and smack me across the face with it.

This book genuinely feels like a BADLY written fan-fiction. There are really good writers of fan-fiction (especially on Wattpad), so I hope this comparison can give you a sort of idea what it's like reading this book.

Trying to get into the relationship is also like trying to force a square cube into a hole. It's that physically awkward feeling when you are trying to force something in and it just doesn't work.

I saw this book had less than four star-rating on Goodreads so I have my guards up, but holy crap it was so much worse than I thought. In a really twisted way, I'm almost impressed. I guess I am just going through too much shock right now.

"Winning isn't everything."

But man, was this book a WINNER.

I do not have a single sporty bone in my body. Not one. So it's no surprise that I could barely keep up with all the sports lingo. I could barely understand what was happening from page one. Honest. But holy amazeballs I love, love, love this book so much!

Sarah Henning nailed it with this. It's cinematic, sweet, entertaining and fun. Liv is a whole other kind of badass. I just want to be her bestfriend. And although I wasn't as in love with Grey as I'd hoped, I still liked him A LOT. I totally agree with Addie, I'd sack him on (and off? Lol) the field alright. I LOVE Danielle. She's such a big sis and having two older sisters of my own, I have firsthand experience on how sisters bond like no other. No matter the age difference.

If you love sports, romance and fun, THROW LIKE A GIRL needs to be on your tbr.

“What if I said I liked more than just your arm?”

Something about the nature of his face softens, and my lungs collapse. “That would probably back up the beautiful comment.”

I received an e-arc to read and review as part of the blog tour.

Wow! This is definitely the best sports romance I have ever read. I absolutely loved how much attention was paid to the sport. I loved all the technical terms and sports jargon that was included, and I am not even a sports fan. The romance was super cute and I just adored our main character.

4.5

Throw Like A Girl by Sarah Henning is such a fun sports romance that absolutely melted me heart. It’s a sweet, funny, entertaining, and delightful story that kept me glued to the pages.

I didn’t always read sport romance books since I’m personally not that into sports. However, over the past few years, I’ve read so many amazing sport romance stories that I pretty much try to read them whenever I can. While not every single book wins my heart, this one most definitely did and I was hooked from the very beginning. Even when I couldn’t really follow all the sports lingo, I still found myself interested and wonderfully engaged with the story and fell in love with the characters.

Right of the bat, I had a good feeling about this book and Sarah Henning definitely did not disappoint me. The plot, while not perfect, is fast-paced and exciting. I enjoyed every single moment that made me laugh, hold my breath, swoon, and smile. I also liked the drama, the family dynamics, the friendships and the diveristy in the book. I think the characters are absolutely charming, realistic and likeable. I adore Liv and love her determination and attitude. Grey is such a cutie and I love the chemisty he has with Liz. I totally rooted for them the entire time and swooned through all their heartwarming and adorable scenes. I honestly loved so much from this book and if you enjoy sports, love romance, and crave a little drama and a lot fun, then you definitely need to add this on your TBR.

Delightful, fun, and entertaining, Throw Like A Girl by Sarah Henning is a lovely YA sports romance story that not only made me swoon, but also touched my heart. The characters are interesting and relatable, the plot is engaging and entertaining, and the romance is cute and really sweet. While this isn’t a 5 hearts reads (so so close…), I still enjoyed how everything played out in this book and cannot wait to read whatever Henning writes next.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the author and publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review and for participating in a Blog Tour hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am such a huge fan of sports romances, so Throw Like a Girl was added to my tbr the moment it was announced! I am so glad I had a chance to read it early as I absolutely adored it.

Liv is the star of her private school's softball team. That all comes crashing down when an opposing player insults Liv's sister/coach with a homophobic comment and Liv retaliates by punching the girl during the playoff game. Liv's actions cause her to lose her scholarship and she ends up having to attend the public school that her team faced during playoffs. Luckily the girl graduated, but the softball coach and the rest of the softball team wants nothing to do with Liv. To prove she can be a team player, Liv needs to play a different sport. Enter Grey, the injured star quarterback of the high school football team and the softball coach's son. Grey convinces Liv to join the team and in return he'll put in a good word.

Throw Like a Girl is full of family, friendship, figuring out Plan B, and of course football. Liv messed up, but she works hard to try to fix her mistake. I loved her determination and dedication she has as an athlete. Liv's family plays a big role in her life and I appreciated how present and supportive they were. One parts to highlight is that Liv's mother has cancer so Liv, her parents, and younger brother are living with Liv's older sister and her wife. I also really liked Liv's friendship with her best friend. Even though they no longer attend school together, they still hang out and attend each other's games. I loved that this played an important part!

And of course, there's the sports romance aspect of the novel! Football fans will love reading about the plays, practices, and games. I don't watch football, but I had no trouble following along. There's also a little bit of softball, volleyball, and soccer! I loved how the different characters played multiple sports as this was very true for my high school. And let's not forget the romance part. Liv and Grey work so well together that it was easy to root for them as a couple. Plus, Grey is totally swoon-worthy and supportive of Liv, even after she takes over his place as starter.

Overall, I loved reading Throw Like a Girl so much! I hope Sarah Henning has plans to write more sports romances because I am totally here for it. Fans of Miranda Kenneally's Catching Jordan will love this story!

This book contains a lot of sports, I mean that was expected, but it was a lot!
The story was quite predictable, but I really enjoyed my time reading this. I flew through the book.
I really liked the family relationship within this book, and also the relation between the main character and her best friend! Everyone was just very supportive and I really like that the family was really there for each other.
I think sportswise it was done pretty well, I think it was realistic, with the amount of training and dealing with injuries and the scholarship pressure. BUT that is me saying knowing not much about this! There were quite a lot of details, which for me was a bit too much since I don’t know anything about football, we don’t do that around here haha!
I really liked the writing in this book, just like I did in her other series!
The thing is, this was a good book, it was just not really for me! I think this book is very good for girls who are very into sports!

Throw Like A Girl Follows the story of Olivia Rodinsky, softball star turned disgrace after a mishap during a game involving her fist and another girls face. When her scholarship gets pulled because of the incident, Olivia is forced to enroll in public school. Her only hope is that she can join the softball team there so that she can secure herself a scholarship for softball. But things don’t go exactly as planned. The softball coach doesn’t believe she has what it takes to be part of a team and wants her to prove she is a good teammate. And so Liv decides the way to show that is to join a team to show Coach Kitt she has what it takes. Deciding on Cross Country as the sport of choice she is all but ready to begin her research into what exactly the sport entails. Until the star quarterback of the football team spots her tossing a ball with her brother. She’s got a killer spiral and he knows that she’d make the perfect backup quarterback for their team. Hesitant at first, Liv isn’t quite convinced football is the sport for her. But the QB is Coach Kitts son and he said he could put in a good word for her. Besides, football is the ultimate team sport. What better way to show she can work in a team?

I found this to be an utterly adorable contemporary! This isn’t just a teen romance novel, it is a journey of self-discovery as well as the ultimate tribute to the world of high school and I was completely absorbed in the story from the first page. I was excited to see how a girl joining an all-male football team would play out and was not disappointed! The chemistry between Liv and her teammates is so wonderful. Besides a few snags( ex on the football team with her) the team accepts her without hesitation after seeing just how hardworking Liv is. And Liv is very hardworking. I felt so motivated reading how determined she was to prove herself. And the romance part! Swoon! I loved Grey. Despite his flaws he was very real and the sparks between Liv and Grey were A+. The world building was complex and I really liked all the characters, even the ones you are supposed to dislike. They were well-developed and lifelike. Henning describes things in a way that make everything so entertaining and I loved this from start to finish. I am giving this a 4 out of 5 stars. Recommended for fans of sports romances, HEA, high school drama, and girl power novels.

My Thoughts:

I enjoy sports romance, and was excited when I saw the book synopsis for Throw Like a Girl. I enjoyed this story from the very beginning, and looked forward to each evening, when I could power up my Kindle, and escape in to the life of Liv Rodinsky.

Liv was such a strong character. I admired her courage, heart, tenacity, and perseverance. She enjoyed a good challenge and never backed down out of fear or insecurity.

As a softball star Liv, otherwise known as "O Rod," enjoyed attending all girls school Windsor Prep on scholarship, playing ball under the coaching of older sister Danielle, and bonding with friends; especially best friend Addie. However, when she is provoked in playoffs, and punches another player, she loses her team, school scholarship, and boyfriend Jake; who attends opposing public high school Northland.

Now forced to attend Northland, she is in classes with her ex-boyfriend and football star Jake, and girls from the softball team that dislike her. Liv's only hope of getting a place on the Northland softball team and a scholarship for college, is to prove to coach Kitt that she can be a team player.

When gorgeous injured quarterback Grey offers a way for Liv to prove that she's a team player, and get him to put in a good word for her with his mother, who happens to be coach Kitt, she takes it! Now Liv is training as a quarterback in an all male sport, alongside Jake and Grey, and it's sure to be an experience that she will never forget!

I loved the way the author made me feel like I was at each football practice and football game. I could visualize everything perfectly, and found myself holding my breath in anticipation! I enjoyed the camaraderie of Liv and her teammates, and was rooting for this underdog! Liv was such a stellar character, and I needed her to be successful!

There were so many heartwarming moments in this story. Sparks flew from the beginning between Liv and Grey, and I loved the way they flirted, trained, played, and had a great time together. Grey had me swooning with his sweet and dreamy personality. One of my favorite aspects of the story was Liv's relationship with her family. They were a tight and loving unit, and her mom was battling cancer, but was such a tower of strength. Liv had such a special relationship with older sister Danielle, and younger brother Ryan; and both of these relationships had me smiling from ear to ear, and getting teary eyed.

I can't believe that Throw Like a Girl was Sarah Henning's debut. The story flowed seamlessly, it had "all the feels," great messages about strength, growing up, and maturity; swoon-worthy moments, and was an excellent read that I highly recommend to fans of young adult sports romance!

hrow Like a Girl is a cute story about a not so cute sport.

It’s a cool story. The High School by me has a girl that plays safety on the Football team. I honestly do not know that much about football so I found myself asking me husband questions. Mostly about the abuse your body takes with the sport. I didn’t feel like I needed to know a ton to read the story though. Although there are parts with the actual game, I think it’s pretty clearly spelled out and easy to follow along.

I had mixed feelings about Liv at times. I thought that she was really selfish and often couldn’t see beyond herself but at the same time she was caring. The thing is that I felt like she acted like a teenager...which she is. So I thought it was appropriate for her to annoy me at times because all teenagers annoy me at times. The other side of Liv is the fact that she is dealing with a parent going battling cancer. It was difficult for me with my dad as an adult to watch what cancer did to him. I can’t imagine being a teenager and having that happen. So Liv’s anger is probably a lot of pent up other frustrations as well.

I loved Liv’s relationship with her siblings. I hope my kids can be as close when they are in high school. They rely on one another and protect one another and still argue like siblings. It is always great to see a strong family in a book. My brothers would have flipped out if I played football but at the same time they thought it was cool when I wouldn’t let boys push me around. So it’s always fun to see that with other siblings.

Yes, the story has a romance and it’s about Liv and Grey. Also about Liv and Jake putting the past behind them. I felt like the story is really about Liv growing as a person and as a teammate. It was great to see that she did have consequences from her actions but she also learned from those and kept going.

I really enjoyed Throw Like a Girl. It’s a great contemporary and a fun light hearted read. Plus if you like sports, there are lots of sports talk.

"When softball star Liv Rodinsky throws one ill-advised punch during the most important game of the year, she loses her scholarship to her fancy private school, her boyfriend, and her teammates all in one fell swoop. With no other options, Liv is forced to transfer to the nearest public school, Northland, where she'll have to convince its coach she deserves a spot on the softball team, all while facing both her ex and the teammates of the girl she punched... Every. Single. Day."

Throw Like a Girl was the perfect YA romance I needed as a pick me up. This novel has it all: Romance, an amazingly tight-knit family, the perfect over-protective dad, and a killer friendship. I was team Liv from the beginning. I know that I shouldn't condone violence... but that girl had that punch coming! Liv is a dedicated family member, athlete, teammate, and friend, She is the character you can stand behind and root for in any situation. I was so happy with the relationships in this novel that I was secretly hoping my own brothers would become more like Liv's siblings. Even if you are not that big into YA romances (I'll give our cute QB a shout out), this novel is much more than that. It is worth a trip to the bookstore and worth a place on your shelves.

*I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Good YA story with great message about being yourself, once you figure out who that is. The characters were believable and like able. The story was plausible but different. The writing and dialogue felt realistic. Teen readers will enjoy this and will like the characters journey towards being all that they can be.

As you may know if you've ever met me, I'm not a sports person. The funniest part about that is that I love sports movies and sports novels, because they are always about more than what their respective athletic contest happens to be. I like storylines and context. I mention that because this book is such a delight.

I love Liv and her family. They're a tight-knit group (Liv's close with her parents and with her siblings) and it's a complete joy to read. 

Everything about this book is just delightful. It's deeper than you may expect from a book where the synopsis says that readers will swoon, but it's just a fun, fun read.